Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 140

How Draymond Green’s apology at team dinner galvanized Warriors ahead of Game 7

HOUSTON – As the Warriors flew back to Texas and prepared for Sunday’s Game 7 victory over the Rockets, Draymond Green spent the 48 hours in between matchups deeply remorseful. 

“I spent the last two days embarrassed at what I gave to the game, what I gave the world,” Green recalled at the podium. “I was embarrassed, and I’ve been dying since the last game ended to get out on the floor and prove who I am.”

The Warriors forward is the team’s greatest defensive player, anchoring a unit that stifled the Rockets in a 103-89 victory that sent Golden State to the second round on Sunday.

He is also the squad’s emotional heartbeat, a mercurial figure whose fiery personality can keep his teammates focused on the task at hand during one game, and contribute to a Warriors meltdown with technical and flagrant fouls in another. 

And during Game 6, which saw Golden State lose 131-116, his worst traits were on full display.

He had an early flagrant foul on Jalen Green, setting the tone for an awful night, the latest in a long line of postseason transgressions by the game’s most notable repeat offender. 

Green had two flagrant fouls during the series, four technical fouls (including one in Game 7) and was the target of “(Expletive) you Draymond” chants in Houston.

Green was so bothered by what unfolded that he had “heart-to-heart” conversations with his wife, his close friends, his barber and even his college coach Tom Izzo. 

After hours of reflection and discussion, Green gathered his teammates during the Warriors’ Saturday night dinner and fessed up. 

“You can’t be a leader and not be accountable,” Green said. “You call other guys out, well, when their (expletive) stinks, you better say when yours does too.”

Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun (28) goes up for a shot as Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) defends during the second half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Buddy Hield said the emotional speech gave him chills. Hield’s good friend Jimmy Butler said the team took his apology and message to heart, with Butler noting that Green wasn’t the only one who needed to improve his leadership. 

“I wasn’t being who I was, in a sense of pumping confidence into my guys,” Butler said. “I wasn’t doing that for the first six games. I wanted to make sure I was going to show that everything was going fine.”

Few athletes know Green better than longtime Hall of Fame teammate Steph Curry. The point guard appreciated Green’s candor. 

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“It was a level of awareness that matters at this stage of our careers,” Curry said. “Draymond started with himself, talking about having a level of poise and composure.”

Green did more than just talk about changing.

He altered his pregame routine, going to the spa, meditating and switching out soundtracks to feature more mellow tunes.

“I listened to (Tupac Shakur’s) ‘Check Out Time’ on the way to the game the other day, and that was the exact mindset I had going into that game,” Green said. “I wanted to change it up today, to Brent Faiyaz, SZA and 90’s R&B. Completely changed it up.”

And during morning shootaround, Green and coach Steve Kerr had what the player deemed “one of the better conversations” the two had ever engaged in, one that Green said he will “remember for the rest” of his life. 

“I think his emotional stability tonight, just being poised from the start, I thought it set a great tone,” Kerr said. 

Green might have dropped Tupac from the rotation, but he was still a Hellrazor on the floor. Green scored 16 points, had five rebounds, dished out four assists and swatted two blocks as the Warriors took down the Rockets. 

Up next is Minnesota, a team with known Green adversaries in Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards. 

Even against longtime antagonists, Green said his newfound sense of zen is here to stay in a series that starts on Tuesday. 

“I have to keep it similar for my guys, forget everybody else,” Green said. “I need to be locked in and find that balance, finding that line and not crossing it. It is important for me and this team, and I gave them my word and I’ll continue to do that.”

Kurtenbach: Surprise! The old, battered Warriors vanquished the Rockets again

You can count on three things in this life: death, taxes and the Golden State Warriors beating the Houston Rockets in the playoffs.

Yes, the lead-up to the Warriors’ Game 7 victory was anything but straightforward. The Warriors went up 3-1 in the series only to lose back-to-back games, leaving their season on the line Sunday.

But the final result?

It was downright inevitable.

Old, battered, and on the road, the Warriors only trailed the Rockets for 12 seconds Sunday, winning 103-89.

Beating Houston in big games, after all, is what they do, even after all these years.

Golden State Warriors players react to Buddy Hield’s (7) first quarter buzzer-beater against the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in Houston, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

“Tonight was as good as it gets in terms of focus and the players executing the game plan and showing resolve for 48 minutes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Game 7 on the road — if you don’t bring it, you’re going home, and our guys brought it.”

The Dubs are now five-for-five all-time against the Rockets in the playoffs. New Rockets or old Rockets, it doesn’t matter. The Warriors just have a deep dislike of that shade of red.

The Warriors beating the Rockets, then led by James Harden, in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 was peak basketball. And it was a real rivalry — the kind that all others are compared to.

Ultimately, the Warriors’ dominance forced the Rockets to tear down their entire team and rebuild. Houston couldn’t beat the Dubs, so they decided to punt a few years and try again when Steph Curry and Draymond Green had aged out of contention.

“Surprise!” Green yelled four times as the Warriors left the court Sunday, six years after the team’s last Toyota Center tunnel celebration.

You might remember it: After the Dubs — down Kevin Durant — finished off the Rockets in Game 6 of the 2019 second round (the de facto Western Conference Finals), the Warriors celebrated as if they won the title. It was the ultimate prove-it game for both organizations, and the Dubs were victorious yet again.

I remember standing in that very same hallway, listening in to an impromptu media session from Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

“We’re gonna kick their a– at some point. I can promise you that,” Fertitta said.

That was 2,186 days ago, Sunday. The Warriors are still waiting on that whoopin’.

Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Perhaps next year is the year for the young Rockets, who earned some kudos with their fight to pull the series to seven games.

Perhaps not. Close doesn’t mean much in this binary world of professional basketball.

Close only gets you to a Game 7.

And that’s when it’s time to bring it.

The Warriors always do.

“It’s always fun winning in this city and winning in this arena. I saw Fred [VanVleet] made a comment earlier in the series that this ‘Ain’t that team,’” Green said. “It’s that organization, though.”

And while Harden — the ultimate Game 7 choker — is no longer around, his replacements (save for 22-year-old Amen Thompson) didn’t cover themselves in glory Sunday.

It wasn’t as if Curry was the one teaching them a lesson in the early goings — he had three points in the first half. (Though he did affect winning in other ways than scoring.)

Nor was it trade-deadline coup Jimmy Butler, either. He had eight at the break and looked as if he was saving his energy for the second half.

No, it was Buddy Hield who ended the Rockets’ season in Game 7, and he did it with a brilliant two-way performance.

Now that’s a surprise.

Buddy Hield #7 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Houston Rockets after making a three-point basket during the fourth quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Related Articles Warriors-Timberwolves preview: NBA’s two hottest teams since March face off in playoffs Buddy Hield shows up big for Warriors in first Game 7 of his career How Draymond Green’s apology at team dinner galvanized Warriors ahead of Game 7 Photos: Buddy Hield leads Golden State Warriors past Houston Rockets in playoff Game 7 NBA playoffs: Warriors vs. Timberwolves series schedule, TV information

Yes, Hield channeled prime Klay Thompson on Sunday, knocking in an NBA Game 7-record nine 3-pointers (on only 11 attempts) and holding Rockets guard VanVleet — who had been killing Golden State the last few games — to 17 points and only 13 shots. Hield had two blocks and a steal in Game 7.

Butler and Curry came around late to seal the deal. Curry even hit a “Night-Night” — a celebration he hadn’t invented the last time the Warriors won a playoff series in Houston.

“I’m blown away by Steph’s competitive fight,” Kerr said. “At 37, doing this forever. Four rings. Gold medal. Everything he could possibly want in his life, he’s got. He has nothing to prove, and yet he’s going to come in and try to prove something every single night.”

Especially on the nights he plays the Rockets, it seems. Curry finished with 22 points — 14 came in the fourth quarter.

But between the best game of Hield’s life and Green’s vintage two-way performance—his first of the series—the Warriors controlled everything on Sunday. The Rockets didn’t have the gusto or the experience to fight through the formidable Warriors. If they couldn’t beat Hield and Green, they weren’t going to beat Curry and Butler in the final frame.

And to think: The Rockets and their fans finally thought they had the Dubs solved. They really thought this was their shot to take down the champs. The Warriors might have rope-a-doped them a bit, too.

But this was not the year. I don’t know if that year will ever come for Houston.

And as for those Dubs obituaries? They’ll have to wait just a bit longer to be published.

“One thing about this league: You’re never done proving who you are until you’re done completely. Finished,” Green, who turned in a virtuoso defensive performance and scored 16 points, said.

And these Warriors are not finished just yet.

Photos: Buddy Hield leads Golden State Warriors past Houston Rockets in playoff Game 7

Laden with championship experience, the Golden State Warriors closed out youthful Houston using a combination of Steph Curry’s phenomenal late-game shotmaking, some timely Jimmy Butler baskets and heady defense by Draymond Green in the Warriors’ 103-89 victory.

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Buddy Hield scored 33 points and made 9 of 11 3-pointers, 22 of those points coming in the first half.

Steph Curry scored 22 and showed off his signature “night-night” celebration after burying a tough triple with 2:55 to go to put the Warriors up by 17. Butler poured in 20 and Draymond Green did a little bit of everything with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Warriors take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Tuesday, advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Buddy Hield #7 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Houston Rockets after making a three-point basket during the fourth quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors hangs on the basket after dunking the ball against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Jabari Smith Jr. #10 of the Houston Rockets battles for the ball against Stephen Curry #30 and Jimmy Butler III #10 of the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) walks to the bench after a technical foul during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun (28) is fouled by Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making a shot against the Houston Rockets during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) shoots as Houston Rockets’ Steven Adams (12), Alperen Sengun (28) and Dillon Brooks (9) defend during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Golden State Warriors players react to Buddy Hield’s (7) first quarter buzzer-beater against the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in Houston, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)Stephen Curry #30 and Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors defend against Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets during the first quarter in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 04, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Houston Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr., center, reacts after being fouled by Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, back left, during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun (28) goes up for a shot as Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) defends during the second half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) hugs his mother, Sonya, as he wife, Ayesha, left, looks on after Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

 

NBA playoffs: Warriors vs. Timberwolves series schedule, TV information

The Golden State Warriors put away the Houston Rockets on Sunday night with a series-clinching 103-89 win in Game 7 at the Toyota Center. Now it’s on to the Target Center in Minneapolis, where the Warriors will start their Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

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The Warriors won three of their four games against the Timberwolves this season, including both meetings in Minneapolis. Their most recent game came on Jan. 15, when the Warriors, behind 31 points from Steph Curry, earned a thrilling 116-115 win at the Target Center.

Here’s the schedule for the best-of-seven series, with television information.

No. 7 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves

GAME 1: Warriors at Timberwolves, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. PT, TNT, truTV, Max

GAME 2: Warriors at Timberwolves, Thursday, 5:30 p.m. PT, TNT, truTV, Max

GAME 3: Timberwolves at Warriors, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. PT, ABC

GAME 4: Timberwolves at Warriors, May 12, 7 p.m. PT, ESPN

*GAME 5: Warriors at Timberwolves, May 14, TBD, TNT

*GAME 6: Timberwolves at Warriors, May 18, TBD, TBD

*GAME 7: Warriors at Timberwolves, May 20, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

The best gym bags to carry all your gear

Upgrade your workout with the right gym bag

Whether you’re heading back to the gym or plan on joining soon, it’s a good idea to invest in a quality gym bag.

Gone are the days when gym bags were plain, bulky duffels that got squeezed into gym lockers. These days, gym bags are designed to satisfy specific needs. Some gym bags now have wet/dry compartments to separate swim gear and dry clothes, while others have antiodor properties or straps to hold yoga mats.

Find a brand-new gym bag with help from this buying guide. It covers everything you need to know before you buy one and shares popular styles appreciated by gym-goers.

What to know before you buy a gym bagHow big are gym bags?

It’s easy to narrow your options among gym bags by determining what you intend to bring to the gym. If you’re only bringing essentials like athletic shoes and a towel, a small backpack is suitable. If you need to pack a change of clothes, athletic equipment or shower gear, opt for larger totes or duffel bags.

Features to look for in gym bags

With so many gym bags on the market, you’ll come across a variety of features among them. Here are some of the most popular ones to examine:

Durability: Well-made bags have reinforced straps and seams. Many of them are made with rip-resistant or water-repellent materials that hold up well to regular wear and tear.Organization: Some gym bags have a single compartment, whereas others have several. Certain gym bags even have wet/dry compartments to separate sweaty or wet clothes from dry ones. Others have separate footwear compartments.Easy carrying: Gym bags should be easy to carry. There are some that have more than one carrying option, such as gym bags that have both handles and removable crossbody straps.Water bottle pocket: Staying hydrated is a top priority, so many people seek water bottle pockets in gym bags. They’re typically present in the form of outer compartments and may hold bottles between 16-32 ounces.How much do gym bags cost?

Affordable gym bags priced $14-$30 include a variety of smaller backpacks, duffel bags and totes. Midrange gym bags made by popular athletic brands run $35-$75. High-end gym bags, which boast the best quality, cost $100 and above.

Popular types of gym bagsGym duffel bags

Duffel bags usually have a spacious main compartment and a few smaller ones. They’re available in a wide variety of sizes, so it’s fairly easy to find one to suit your needs.

The Adidas Logo Duffel Bag, for example, measures 26 inches by 12.5 inches by 13.5 inches. It’s considered a midsize duffel, though it has plenty of room for athletic shoes and a change of clothes.

Gym bag backpacks

Backpacks are popular for their versatility and easy, hands-free carrying. There’s a broad range of small, lightweight styles, as well as larger ones with capacities to hold bulkier items.

Nike Elite Pro Basketball Backpack is a game-ready design with a large opening to accommodate a regulation-size basketball or basketball shoes.

Gym tote bags

Gym totes are appreciated for their stylish yet practical designs. These sporty bags are highly versatile, and they can be used outside the gym for travel or commuting.

Yoga gym bags

Given the popularity of yoga and other wellness-focused exercise classes, there are many gym bags designed to hold mats. They’re usually lightweight and easy to sling over the shoulder.

Gaiam Yoga Mat Bag is a perennial favorite for its simple, functional design. It has an adjustable shoulder strap and a roomy front pocket to hold small items.

Best gym bags for women

Fila Sprinter 19-Inch Sport Duffel Bag

This Fila duffel has an organized design, making it a good option for separating essentials. The bag is made with 600D rip-stop polyester.

Ewedoos Yoga Mat Bag

Head to yoga class stress-free with this spacious open-top mat bag. It’s the perfect size to fit most mats.

Best gym bags for men

Adidas Graphic Duffel Bag

The rugged Adidas duffel is a popular option for both gym and travel use. It’s well-liked for its machine-washable design.

Under Armour Hustle 5.0 Backpack

The feature-rich backpack has double outer water bottle pockets, wick-away straps and an abrasion-resistant bottom panel. It has an inner compartment to hold 15-inch devices.

Nike Brasilia 9.0 Medium Training Duffel Bag

This larger Nike duffel has plenty of room to hold clothes, uniforms and sports equipment. Choose from five colors.

Best overall gym bags

Adidas Alliance II Sackpack

The right size for just the essentials, this classic Adidas Sackpack is perfect for those who need to pack light. It even has drop mesh water bottle pockets.

FocusGear Ultimate Gym Bag 2.0

A bestseller, the FocusGear Gym Bag is a customer favorite for its wet/dry compartments. It has several pockets and compartments.

Puma Evercat Candidate Duffel

Sporty and affordable, the Puma duffel features high-quality construction and a stylish design. It comes in eight unique colorways.

Adidas Defender III Medium Duffel Bag

The Adidas Defender III has a dedicated footwear compartment. The duffel has a padded shoulder strap and is backed by a lifetime warranty.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

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Warriors eliminate Rockets in Game 7 behind Hield’s hot start, Curry and Butler’s closing touch

HOUSTON – With the season on the line, the Warriors asked their veterans to carry the team against a foe that was pushing to make an incredible comeback. 

They answered the call. 

On the verge of an epic postseason collapse on Sunday night in Houston, the Warriors’ Hall of Famers showed up. 

Laden with championship experience, the Warriors closed out youthful Houston using a combination of Steph Curry’s phenomenal late-game shotmaking, some timely Jimmy Butler baskets and heady defense by Draymond Green in the Warriors’ 103-89 victory. 

“The way we came into it, this is another opportunity that we should be thankful for, considering all the things we’ve gone through our entire run, and that we’re still trying to do it,” Curry said.

It was the fifth time the Warriors have beaten the Rockets in a series in the Curry era.

Steph Curry scored 22 and showed off his signature “night-night” celebration after Buddy Hield made a 3 that followed Curry’s own tough triple late in the fourth to put the Warriors up by 20. Butler poured in 20 and Green did a little bit of everything with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

It wasn’t all the Big 3, though. In Game 7s, teams often get contributions from unlikely places, and Sunday was no exception.  

Hield scored 33 points and made 9 of 11 3-pointers, 22 of those points coming in the first half.

That provided the spark the Warriors needed to close out the Rockets, who had clawed back from a 3-1 deficit, and advance to a second-round matchup with Minnesota. 

The home team got 24 points from Amen Thompson, 21 from Alperen Sengun and 17 from Fred VanVleet.

It was close for a while. 

After a slow start that saw Curry score just three points in the first half, he came alive late in the third, when the 37-year-old scored two quick buckets.

Then he repeated that trick to start the fourth, taking on Jabari Smith Jr. and Thompson in isolation, and scorched both with tough baskets to extend the Warriors’ lead to 75-62 with just 11 minutes left in regulation.

“I’m trying to make the right play soften them up, and eventually, you can make your presence felt scoring-wise,” Curry said.

After going into the third quarter with a double-digit lead and extending it to as much as 54-39, Houston responded with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes, forcing two turnovers and converting on both to key the run. 

The Rockets were able to eventually cut the lead to 63-60 before Warriors coach Steve Kerr called a timeout, and the Warriors went on a run of their own. 

Butler canned a flat-but-accurate corner 3, and then Green found openings in the Rockets’ interior and converted on both a layup and a soft floater to give Golden State a 70-62 lead after three quarters. 

Golden State got early contributions from its non-Curry and Butler players, with Green making two 3-pointers off spot-up opportunities in the first two minutes of the game.

Hield, who was scoreless in Game 6, ended the period with a corner triple and a buzzer-beating halfcourt bomb to put the Warriors up 23-19, helping offset a scoreless quarter by Curry. 

The veteran shooting guard kept up his torrid play in the second quarter, scoring 14 in the period.

“I was just trying to seize the moment, and enjoy the moment,” Hield said. “It was fun, but a lot of nerves at first, so I had to be myself. It was not normal in the locker room, so I was just trying to be myself. Tonight was fun, and all glory to God.”

Meanwhile, Golden State’s defense remained stingy while the rest of the offense tried to find its way.

After a few Quinten Post minutes, Kerr tasked Looney with absorbing the backup center minutes and did an admirable job of banging with Sengun and Adams in the slugfest.

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Curry remained scoreless until the final minute of the half but still found a way to contribute. 

He was an active defender in the Warriors’ 2-3 zone during the second quarter, and also had 10 rebounds and seven assists, including a slick dime to a cutting Brandin Podziemski on the short roll.

Podziemski’s short shot gave the Warriors a 39-29 lead with 3:19 left in the half. The Warriors were still up by double-digits when Draymond Green got his regularly scheduled technical foul when he hit VanVleet in the neck after Green reached in on him. 

The Warriors led 51-39 at halftime, and pulled away in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. 

The Warriors will play Game 1 in Minneapolis on Tuesday (6:30 PT, TNT). 

Pro Soccer: Union salvage a tie with Miami

SEASIDE — A point was preserved. Yet, failing to hold a lead late in the match Sunday will keep Monterey Bay FC out of first place.

Returning to the friendly confines of Cardinale Stadium following an 11-day layoff didn’t provide the results the Union had hoped for, playing Miami to a 1-1 draw.

While the tie did keep Monterey Bay FC unbeaten at home and gave them a point, it wasn’t the three points that the win would have provided, leaving them a point behind Western Conference leader San Antonio.

The Union (4-2-3) are 1-1-3 after a 3-1-0 start this spring, improving to 3-0-1 at Cardinale Stadium, where a crowd of nearly 5,000 welcomed them home for the first time since April 12 — the longest stint between home matches in franchise history.

After playing two matches in seven days — both on the road — on the pitch for the third time this season, the Union used an 11-day break to reignite themselves.

Producing a goal in the first nine minutes of the match on Ilijah Paul’s fourth of the year on an assist from Mayele Malagno pointed Monterey Bay FC in the right direction, giving them a 1-0 halftime cushion.

The Union, who will visit Rhode Island on Saturday, had only allowed one goal in the second half all season in the United Soccer League — that coming back on March 15 in a 3-2 win over Oakland.

However, a streak of seven matches of holding an opponent scoreless in the second half came to a halt in the 87th minute when Miami forward Francisco Bonfiglio drilled his fourth goal of the year through the net.

Miami, who won just three matches last year — including a 1-0 decision over Monterey Bay FC — and had the worst record in the USL, improved to 2-4-1, moving them into a tie for sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Goalie Nico Campuzano came within a handful of minutes of recording his fourth shutout between the pipes this year for the Union, finishing with eight saves.

With the goal, Paul is sixth in the USL — third in the Western Conference in goals with four. Campuzano leads the USL in saves with 35.

The Union, who finished with the third worst goal total in the USL last year, are eighth overall through nine matches with 12. With the draw, the two teams are 1-1-2 lifetime against each other.

How a surprising Shakespeare discovery was found in a letter used as scrap paper

A 400-year-old Shakespeare mystery has gotten a major shake-up.

In a paper published in the journal Shakespeare on April 24 — the day after the Bard’s 461st birthday, if you happened to have candles and an extremely large cake on hand — Professor Matthew Steggle, Chair in Early Modern English Literature at University of Bristol, presented research that finds potential significance in the scraps of a letter first discovered in 1978.

Incredibly, the letter scraps were found by accident inside a nearly 1,000-page religious tome housed in the library of the U.K.’s Hereford Cathedral.

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The letter appears to have been addressed to “Good Mrs Shakspaire” concerning an apprentice named John Butts (or Butte) and the young man’s interactions with her husband. As well, the letter says that the Shakespaires had lived on Trinity Lane, a street that still exists today in London. If this, in fact, turns out to be true about the Shakespeares, it’s a biographical nugget that has never previously been known and places them living together in London during the period when he wrote “Hamlet,” “Twelfth Night,” and other plays.

The life story of William Shakespeare, as it’s usually told, is that he left Stratford-upon-Avon to make his name in the London theaters. It’s been thought that his wife, Anne Hathaway, stayed behind with their children, separated from him for unknown lengths of time until he returned to spend the last few years of his life in retirement. Then, upon his death, he left her “my second best bed with the furniture,” which scholars still puzzle over whether it’s a loving gesture (as it could refer to their shared marriage bed) or a final snub.

Amazingly, the correspondence wasn’t saved for its historical importance; it was essentially used as scrap paper, as Steggle writes in “The Shakspaires Of Trinity Lane: A Possible Shakespeare Life-Record”: “The two strips of the letter were used by the binders as ‘guards’, or padding to prevent the text block from chafing against the binding they were fitting to it, so the binders evidently regarded these strips as waste paper.”

The book’s publisher was Shakespeare’s Stratford neighbor Richard Field, who was also the playwright’s first printer.

Why wasn’t the 1978 discovery by librarian F.C. Morgan taken more seriously at the time? Steggle explains: “That Morgan did not do more with this discovery is understandable. He had recently celebrated his hundredth birthday, and in fact was dead by the time this note appeared in print. It was a late and startling highlight in a long career spent in English history.”

Steggle’s research was done for his forthcoming book, “William Shakespeare and the Early Modern World,” and throughout his piece, he is careful not to overstate the findings and suggest areas where it might be bolstered or challenged. Steggle answered questions via email about the letter and his research.

Q. How did you find the significance of this piece of letter?

I’m writing a Shakespeare biography, and found the document referenced briefly in one or two places, but nobody actually seemed to know anything about it. Then when I obtained photos of the two fragments, I thought, you could do things with this, especially with modern information technology that previous generations of scholars didn’t have access to. 

 Q. If true, what might it mean?

There’s this prevailing narrative that the Shakespeares’ marriage was very much an arms-length affair, with the wife as a distant encumbrance while he lived an exciting life in the city – the kind of thing you see in “Shakespeare in Love.” This suggests an alternative scenario in which they are living together, at least a bit, in London, with Anne involved in William’s social networks and financial affairs. 

Q. Might there be other scraps to search for?

Yes! It shows that new discoveries are still possible in 17th-century manuscript material, particularly in binding waste. In particular, as I say in the article, it makes one passionately curious about other books, printed like this one by Shakespeare’s associate Richard Field, which might still be in their original bindings. 

Q. Is there anything else about this that you’d like to say?

Only that this is part of a number of recent bits of work which are starting to reassess the Shakespeare womenfolk — in particular, the work of Katherine Scheil on other aspects of Anne Hathaway’s life. For a long time it was assumed that they were all illiterate yokels, and maybe that’s a simplification.

 Q. Could this explain why there isn’t much original Shakespeare writing or paperwork?

Funnily enough, I’d argue that actually there’s quite a decent paper trail for Shakespeare, by the standards of his day. There are dozens of, individually perhaps rather dry, documents collected on the fabulous site Shakespeare Documented: tax records, law cases, to say nothing of the numerous documents around his professional career. Those are the kinds of things that survive, by and large, whereas more personal papers almost invariably disappear. I’ve spent 20 years looking in archives for people whose lives are only known from half a dozen grubby bits of paper, and William Shakespeare is actually quite lavishly documented in comparison to many of them.

For Black men, fashion has been a tool of self-expression — and a way they’ve been judged

By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Growing up on the south side of Chicago, the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley was given the message early on: What one wore as a Black man mattered.

Wesley’s pastor father, who migrated from Louisiana after World War II in search of more opportunmetities than those readily available to Black people in the Deep South, “always had an impeccable sense of shirt and tie and suit.”

“In order to move in certain spaces where colored people were not allowed to be, you want to be dressed the right way to be able to fit in,” says Wesley, 53, now a senior pastor in Alexandria, Virginia.

But Wesley also got an early warning: What he wore could be used against him. His father forbade baseball caps because some street gang members wore them in certain ways, and his father was concerned authorities would make stereotypical or racist assumptions about his son if he were seen wearing one.

Clothing as message. Fashion and style as tools, signifiers of culture and identity, whether intentional or assumed. There’s likely no group for whom that’s been more true than Black men. It’s not just what they wear, but also how it’s been perceived by others seeing it on a Black man, sometimes at serious cost.

“It’s always a dialogue, between what you can put on and what you can’t take off,” says Jonathan Square, assistant professor at Parsons School of Design and among the advisers to a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute that kicks off with Monday’s Met Gala.

Clothing matters, and not just at the Met Gala

“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” opening to the public May 10, focuses on Black designers and menswear. It uses the 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” by guest curator and Barnard College professor Monica L. Miller, as a foundational inspiration for the show. The dress code for the celebrity-laden, fashion extravaganza fundraiser that is the Met Gala is “Tailored For You,” with high-profile Black male entertainers like Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo and A$AP Rocky joining Vogue editor Anna Wintour as co-chairs.

“When we’re talking about Black men … we are talking about a group, an ethnic and racial group and cultural group that has historically dealt with adversity, oppression, systemic oppression,” says Kimberly Jenkins, fashion studies scholar and founder of the Fashion and Race Database, who contributed an essay for the exhibit’s catalog. “And so clothing matters for them in terms of social mobility, self-expression, agency.”

This combination photo shows various fashion worn by Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. (AP Photo)

Through the decades, that self-expression has taken many forms and been adopted by others. Take the zoot suit, first popularized in the 1920s in urban centers like New York’s Harlem, with its wide-legged, high-waisted pants and long suit coats with padded shoulders. The 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of styles related to hip-hop culture, such as jeans worn sagging off the hips, oversized jerseys and jackets with designer logos. Hoodies, sneakers and other streetwear were popularized by Black men before becoming global fashion staples.

For some, it was about always being dressed “appropriately” or “respectably” to demonstrate to the mainstream that Black men were in fact equal, not lesser beings, criminals or thugs. The Met exhibit, for example, includes material from civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois that showcases how seriously he took the tailoring of his clothes. Gala co-host A$AP Rocky made a point of tailored suits and high fashion earlier this year during his trial on firearms charges for which he was ultimately found not guilty — Yves Saint Laurent even sent out a press release touting his court attire.

Others purposely picked their clothing as a pushback and challenge to white standards of what was acceptable, like the Black Panthers’ berets and black leather jackets, or colorful dashikis that signaled connection to Pan-Africanism.

But it has never been a one-way message. Debates over the clothes Black men wear and how they wear them have at times turned into a form of cultural and literal policing, like when a young Black man sued a New York department store in 2013, saying he was racially profiled and detained by police after buying an expensive belt.

The weaponization of fashion

Elka Stevens, associate professor and fashion design program coordinator at Howard University, describes a gatekeeping weaponization of fashion, where some believe “people don’t have the right to wear the finest designer clothes based upon their skin color, or how they look, or how they’re being classified.”

“But if you don’t dress at a particular standard, or you don’t dress what’s considered to be appropriate for said venue or occasion, that gets weaponized as well,” she adds.

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Zoot suits were condemned in the WWII era as unpatriotic for how much fabric they required during wartime scarcity. When Allen Iverson and other athletes started bringing hip-hop style and sensibility to the NBA, the league pushed back in 2005 with a dress code calling for business attire for players on the sidelines to promote what it considered a “professional” image.

And even as streetwear styles and sneakers have become big business for global fashion, they can still be looked down upon based on the body wearing them, says Stevens.

“That which was previously associated with street culture and particularly Black street culture, now is part of our everyday,” she says. “But again, who’s wearing it makes a huge difference.”

There’s perhaps no starker example than that of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old killed in Florida in 2012. He was shot by a man who found the sight of the hoodie-wearing Black teen suspicious, leading to the confrontation in which Martin died.

Even as hoodies have become essential dressing for everyone from kids to corporate CEOs, it’s “the presence of that person who we’ve identified as being Black or someone identifies as being Black that causes the problem no matter what, no matter what they have on,” Stevens says.

It’s a reality of life in the United States that Wesley has wrestled with. After Martin’s death, he wore a hoodie while behind the pulpit at Alfred Street Baptist Church and spoke of his worries about how his own young sons would be perceived.

Like his father before him and for the same reasons, there were certain styles he never allowed his sons — now 21 and 18 — to wear. Sagging jeans? He “just won’t allow it. I refuse to. Not only because of fear of being stereotyped by the police, but also labeled by society. Maybe I’m wrong for that. I don’t know,” Wesley says.

“To me, it’s a shame that my attire can neither hide my color, it can never elevate me above it in your stereotype, but it can always confirm it,” Wesley says. “So my suit doesn’t get me out of, ‘Oh, he’s still a Black man who’s a threat,’ but the hoodie makes it go, ‘Oh, he’s a Black man who’s the threat.’”

New tax cuts mostly favor the rich across states this year

By Kevin Hardy, Stateline.org

Missouri Republicans may take their tax-cutting efforts to new heights this year as lawmakers consider exempting profits from the sale of stocks, bonds and real estate from state income taxes.

Part of a broader push to eliminate the state income tax altogether, legislation making its way through the Capitol would provide an unprecedented benefit to the wealthy by excluding capital gains, the long-term earnings from the sale of assets. If approved, tax experts say, the legislation would mark the first time a state with an income tax has eliminated capital gains tax.

The Republican sponsors say the move would make the state more attractive for businesses and families.

“This bill is intended to energize Missouri’s economy,” Republican Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins said upon introducing the measure.

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But state Democrats — and even some of their GOP colleagues— have criticized the measure as being overly favorable to the wealthy. Most states’ tax systems already put a higher tax burden on lower-income households. That trend only accelerated in this year’s legislative sessions, worrying advocates who want to see the rich pay a larger share.

“It is so egregious in just how grossly concentrated the benefits of the [Missouri] proposal would go to the richest people in the state and shift the state’s tax system to really privilege the owners of wealth over people who are earning a regular paycheck,” said David Cooper, an analyst at the left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute.

The institute advocates for progressive state taxes — those that put the proportionately largest tax burdens on the highest earners. While Cooper advises against eliminating state income taxes, he said the Missouri move would be more harmful than eliminating the income tax outright.

“If you’re wiping away the income tax altogether, there’s at least some tax benefit going to lower-earning folks who are still paying income taxes,” he said. “If you’re just eliminating capital gains income taxes, you are just giving away money to the wealthiest people in the state, period.”

Some Democratic-led states, including Maryland and Washington, have moved to increase taxes on the wealthy this year. But several states — including Kansas, Kentucky and Mississippi — have made more regressive tax changes.

Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, noted that states still prioritize progressive spending through social service programs aiding the most vulnerable residents.

He said states compete against each other for business and residents in much more immediate ways than the federal government competes against other nations.

“So states are very focused on the competitive advantages associated with a pro-growth tax regime,” he said, “and that has led to less of an emphasis in many states on achieving progressivity through the tax code.”

‘Generational change’ to taxes

While several states have enacted high-profile tax cuts this year, the momentum is actually slowing, Walczak said.

With booming economies and an influx of federal cash in recent years, conservative and liberal states alike passed significant tax cuts. Of the 43 states that have some sort of income tax, 28 have made rate reductions since 2021, Walczak said.

“In many states, lawmakers simply accomplished much of what they had set out to do,” he said.

Economic uncertainty and the prospect of reduced federal aid also have made many lawmakers more cautious this legislative season, he said.

But lawmakers in several states — including Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia — have continued their march to eliminate state income taxes.

“Taxing people’s wages is bad because it undermines liberty,” Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers, a Republican, said this month in support of a proposed income tax cut, the Oklahoma Voice reported. “It undermines people’s freedoms. If government controls income, then it controls your life.”

This session, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill cutting the state income tax rate from 4% to 3.5%. Republican lawmakers have been slashing rates for years with the ultimate aim of eliminating the income tax altogether, despite concerns that more reliance on sales tax would disproportionately burden the poor. To partially offset the income tax reduction, the legislature expanded sales taxes to more services in 2018.

And Republican lawmakers in Kansas overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to move away from the state’s graduated income tax toward a flat tax of 4% that will mostly benefit the highest earners.

Last month, Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation granting another cut in the state income tax. Officials there aim to phase out the income tax altogether over the coming years with gradual rate reductions, which Reeves characterized as“a generational change” for the state.

The Mississippi law also reduces the sales tax on groceries and increases the gas tax. Though the governor is already celebrating the end of state income tax, the law provides for incremental reductions in the coming years only if the state hits certain revenue targets.

Republican state Rep. Trey Lamar, a legislative sponsor, said income taxes disincentivize work — a particular problem for the state with the nation’s lowest workforce participation rate.

“A tax on work is a tax on productivity,” he said.

The left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says the law will make the state’s tax system more inequitable. Its analysis found that when fully implemented, the top 1% of households, who have average annual incomes of $1.4 million, will receive an average cut of $41,420, or roughly 3% of their annual income. But the bottom 20% of earners, who have average annual incomes of $13,400, would realize a tax cut of just $42 per year.

Lamar noted the legislation did not increase sales taxes across the board. With average sales tax burdens already lower than neighboring states like Alabama, he said the income tax elimination will only help Mississippi workers.

“We need more people working,” he said. “So if helping the working man is somehow seen as regressive, then I’d have to say I don’t fully understand that.”

Walczak, of the Tax Foundation, said the state can afford the initial rate reduction. But it’s unclear whether state revenues will hit the targets needed — and whether lawmakers will reassess the aim of eliminating income taxes.

As one of the nation’s poorest states, Mississippi is heavily reliant on federal funding and would be particularly vulnerable to an economic downturn.

“There’s not a guarantee that the state could afford that in the future, and Mississippi does not have a large budget to begin with, so that would be harder than in most other states if the economy slid,” he said. “It does require a willingness on lawmakers’ parts to be honest with themselves if the economy changes and decide whether a pause might be necessary.”

An uneven tax burden

Economic uncertainty and slowing revenues have put many states into budget holes this year, forcing lawmakers to consider spending cuts or tax increases.

To close budget gaps, some conservative and liberal states have considered new or higher taxes on marijuana, tobacco and soda.

But some liberal-led states are looking to taxes more focused on the wealthy. In Rhode Island, Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee has proposed a 10% tax on digital advertising revenue.

In Washington state, lawmakers approved raising capital gains taxes and business taxes to close a looming deficit, though it’s unclear whether Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who has voiced skepticism, will sign off on those measures.

Maryland lawmakers, facing a $3 billion deficit, recently approved$1.6 billion in new taxes and fees. That includes two new high-income tax brackets and a new 3% sales tax on information technology and data services.

Moves like those that ask more of the wealthy could make some state tax systems more progressive, said Aidan Davis, the state policy director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. But most state tax proposals approved this year have primarily benefited the highest earners.

That’s particularly concerning because most state systems already favor the wealthy. In 41 states, the top 1% of earners pay a lower effective tax rate than any other group, according to an institute study.

In Missouri, the fate of the first-of-its-kind capital gains tax elimination remains up in the air.

Though versions of the proposal have passed both chambers, there are differences between the Senate and House legislation. That means the bill could go back to conference committee for further negotiation or go on to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who has identified capital gains among his tax cut priorities this year.

Missouri’s Department of Revenue estimated the exemption could cost $111 million per year. But an Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy analysis of IRS data projects the change could cost $600 million or more.

If approved, the top 5% of Missouri households — those making more than $273,000 per year — will receive more than 80% of the benefit from capital gains exemption, Davis said.

“Doing so would let wealthy people collect tax-free passive income while you’re continuing to tax middle class workers and people with savings,” Davis said. “It’s just a really extreme proposal.”

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org.

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